Machine for turning wood heels



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1. 1925 W J SHAW MACHINE FORYTURNING WOOD HEELS Dec, 4 1923.

W. J. SHAW MACHINE FOR TURNING WOOD HEELS Dec. 4 1923.

2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May 1. 1923 I ML lllll mmw llh Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY J'. SHAW, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NEW ENGLAND WOOD HEEL 00., OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR TURNING WOOD HEELS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY J. SHAW, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Turning Wood Heels, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to machines for operating upon shoe heels, and more particularly to wood-heel-turning machines.

Wood-heel-turnin machines comprise a clamp adapted to clamp a wood-heel block or blank and to swing along a curved track about a rotary cutter to present different portions of the heel blank to the cutter. As is explained in a copendin application, Serial No. 628,200, filed Marc 28, 1923, the shape of the resulting heel is determined by various factors, among them the shape of the cutter and the inclination of the curved track. By no means the least factor is found in the degree of clamping pressure of the clamp against the heel blank. Different operators will clamp the wood blocks with different pressures, and even the same operator will, at times, clamp some blocks lightly and, at other times, other blocks heavily. Such variation in pressure aifects the size and, therefore, the shape also, of the resultant heels.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a heel-turning machine in which the pressure of the clamp upon the heel blanks shall automatically be made uni form.

To the accomplishment of this end, a feature of the invention resides in operating the clamp by pneumatic pressure. All that the operator has to do is to operate a valve handle or the like. Whether he operates the handle lightly or heavily, the pressure of the clamp upon the heel blank will be the same.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved machine hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation, upon a reduced scale, of a Wood-heelturning machine constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of a detail, upon a larger scale than in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a section taken taken upon the line 44 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4, showing the parts in relatively different positions. 1

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, as required by the statutes, a wood-heel blank 2 is shown clamped between lower and upper jaws 4 and 6 of a clamp 8. The wood heel illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown already in heel form, after it has been subjected to the action of rotary cutters, one of which is shown at 10. Originally, however, it is in the form of an unshaped, wood block. Different portions of this wood block or blank are presented to the cutters by the clamp 8 as the latter is swung over a curved track 14 by means of a handle 16 and a han dle 43 grasped by the operator. To this end, the clamp 8 is linked to the base 18 of the machine, about vertically disposed pivotal rods 20 and 22, by a link 24. As the curve of the track 14 does not lie in a horizontal plane, provision is made for tilting the clamp 8 about a horizontal pivot pin 26. The tilting movement, up and down, is eflected automatically by and against the force of gravity by a roller 25 that is attached to the clamp 8 engaging the track 14 as the clamp is swung by the operator over the track. The pivot pin 26 is carried by an arm 28 that extends out from the upper end of the rod 22. As the rod 22 is vertically movable in bearings 30 of the link 24, the pivot pin 26 is also vertically movable, imparting a corresponding movement to the clamp 8. The vertical movement of the rod 22 is effected by a roller 32 that is mounted at the lower end of the rod 22 to ride over a second curved track 34. As the clamp is swung back and forth about the cutters, the track 34 causes the pivotal point 26 to rise and fall, and thetrack 14 causes the roller 25 to rise and fall. The resulting movement, in connection with the shape of the cutters, determines the shape of the resulting heel. Different shapes may be obtained by varying or adjusting the tracks 14 and 34. The details of adjustment, and other details of the machine will not further be explained herein, because not necessary to an understandi of the present invention. Further description may be had by reference to the uniform pressure.

above-identified a plication. It is understood, of course, that the invention claimed herein is not restricted to the illustrative machine, but is e ually applicable to other types of woodeel-turning and other machines.

According to the present invention, the heel blank 2 is clamped in the clamp 8 with The desired result may be attained in many ways within the spirit of the present inventlon and without departin from its scope. According to the preferre embodiment of the inventlon that is herein illustrated and described, the jaw 6 is actuated by pneumatic pressure about its pivotal point 7 into engagement with the heel blank 2. The block 2 is thus clamped between the stationary jaw 4 and the movable jaw 6 with a ressure the degree of which is determined by the source of the pneumaticpressure, which may obviousl be maintained uniform. The actuation of the movable jaw 6 may be effected by a plunger 9 sliding in an overhanging arm 11. The plunger 9 does not engage the jaw 6 directly, a ball 13 being interposed between them. The plunger 9 is engaged by one end of a lever 15 that is intermediately pivoted on the arm 11 at 17. The other end of the lever 15 is adapted to be engaged by a piston rod 19. A piston 21, to which the iston rod 19 is secured, is mounted in 8. cylinder 23. When pneumatic pressure is exerted upon the piston 21, the piston rod 19 is forced into engagement with the lever 15, and the latter is pivotally actuated about its pivotal point 17 to force the plun r 9 against the aw 6, causing the latter to 0 amp the heel block 2 against the jaw 4.

The jaw 6 is actuated against the heel blank 2, as above described, in opposition to the force exerted by a bent spring 27 that tends normally to maintain the jaw 6 out of engagement with the heel block 2. The

spring 27 also acts to reverse the movement of the plunger 9, the lever 15 and the piston rod 19 and piston 21 when the pneumatic ressure against the piston 21 is released. l'he reverse movement may be aided by an additional spring 45. One end 29 of the bent spring 27 engages the tail of the jaw 6 and the other end 31 rests against an interior wall of the arm 11, as shown in Fig. 1. The arrangement of the arts is such as to cause the jaw 6 to open w en the pressure thereon is released.

The piston cylinder 23 is connected to a source of. pneumatic pressure by a three-way valve 33 anda pipe 35. The valve is under the control of a handle 37. When the valve occupies the position illustrated in Fig. 4, fluid under pressure is permitted to flow in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 4, b way of the pipe 35, to the cylinder 23. When the valve occu ies the position illustrated in Fig. 5, the uid under pressure in different portions of the cylinder 23 is permitted to exhaust to the atmosphere, in the direction of the curved arrow of Fig. 5, by way of vent 39. In the former case, the vent 39 is closed, and-the connection 41 to the pipe 35 open, as shown in Fig. 4. In the latter case, the vent 39 is open and the connection 41 closed, as shown in Fig.5.

In operation, the operator places a heel blank upon the stationary jaw 4, turns the handle 37 to cause the jaw 6 to close upon the heel blank with a ressure that'is known beforehand to be uni orm, the handle 16 is grasped in one hand and the handle 43, above the overhanging arm 11, in the other, the clamp 8 with the heel blank clamped thereby is then swung about the cutters along the track 14 in the customary wa and the handle 37 is then again manipu ated to release the heel blank. The operation is then repeated upon another heel blank.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the exact embodiment thereof that is illustrated and described herein, but that modifications and changes may be made-therein by persons skilled in the art,

and changes are conwithin the appended and such modifications sidered to be embraced claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for turning wood heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutter along the track to present different portions of the heel blank to'the cutter, and means operable by fluid pressure to actuate the clamp.

2. A machine for turning heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutteralong the track to present the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp havin a movable jaw, and means operable by flui pressure to actuate the movable jaw into engagement with the heel blank. i

3. A machine for turning heels having, in combination, a. cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutter along the track to present difl'erent portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a movable jaw, means operable by fluid pressure to actuate the movable jaw into engagement with the heel blank, and means for releasing the movable jaw from engagement with the heel blank.

4. A machine for turning heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and toswing about the cutter along the track to present different portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a movable jaw, means tending to maintam the movable jaw out of engagement with the heel blank, and

means operable by fiuid pressure in opposition to the tending means to actuate the movable jaw into engagement with the heel blank.

5. A machine for turning heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutter along the track to present different portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a movable jaw, a plunger for actuating the movable jaw into engagement with the heel blank, and means operable by fluid pressure for actuating the plunger.

6. A machine for turning heels having, in

combination, a cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutter along the track to present different portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a pivoted jaw, a spring tending to maintain the pivoted jaw out of engagement with the heel blank, a plunger for actuating the movable jaw in opposition to the spring into engagement with the heel blank, a lever for actuating the plunger, and a piston rod operable by fluid pressure for actuating the lever.

7. A machine for turning heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, and a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank and to swing about the cutter along the track to present difierent portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a movable jaw, a.

piston for actuating the movable jaw into engagement with the heel blank, a cylinder for the piston, means connecting the cylinder to a source of fluid pressure, and means connecting the cylinder to the atmosphere.

8. A machine for turning wood heels having, in combination, a cutter, a track, a clamp adapted to clamp a heel blank, and two handles adapted to be grasped by the operator to swing the clamp about the cutter along the track to present different portions of the heel blank to the cutter, the clamp having a stationary jaw, a movable jaw, a spring tending to maintain the movable jaw out of engagement with the heel blank, a plunger for actuating the movable jaw in opposition to the spring into engagement with the heel blank, a ever for actuating the plunger, a piston for actuating the lever, a c linder for the piston, means connecting t e cylinder to a source of fluid pressure, and a three-way valve adapted to connect the cylinder either to the connecting means or to the atmosphere.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of April, 1923.

WESLEY J. SHAW 

